[thelist] Curl

[Joe Crawford]

Lindsay Evans wrote:
> This looks interesting:
> 
> http://www.curl.com
> looks like a cross between html & java, with some weird syntax.
> the only problem I can see is the 11Mb download for the plugin :o(

Where's the upside to a new client environment, and a new development
environment?

I have flippantly dismissed Curl in the past - but what do I know?

I just don't see how they can get any kind of adoption of their
technology, whatever its technical merits. Flash and Java and RealAudio
and Quicktime *still* are fighting tooth and nail to maintain presence
in browsers - and that's the same fight Curl has got to fight.

Given the limited (still) functionality for cross-platform-ability,
given the closed and proprietary nature of it, how can they spur
adoption? For rich client environments which run best or only on Windows
we already have all the Ms-proprietary stuff in IE?

The kicker is this:
<snippet src="http://www.curl.com/html/products/pricing.jsp?c1=46">
"Pricing

Curl™ technology moves Web infrastructure to the last mile - the Web
user's device - exploiting the power of the device connected to the Web
and providing a substantially richer, more interactive user experience.
</snippet>

Now, any page called "Pricing" which has that sentence up top is a
problem. This is the (pardon my french) "blowing smoke up your ass"
factor.

It goes on to say you are free to use Curl, to develop and deploy Curl
as much as you like!

But...
<snippet src="http://www.curl.com/html/products/pricing.jsp?c1=46">
"We charge commercial customers based on the volume of Curl content
executed. If you would like to deploy Curl content in a commercial
setting, please contact us at sales at curl.com. Our license agreement
includes a standard fee and allows for volume-based usage discounts.
Non-commercial users can deploy Curl content at no charge. "
</snippet>

Translation:
"Use Curl all you like! But if you intend to make money, please shoot us
an email then we can determine what to charge you."

This reminds me of the way Phil Greenspun used to describe the old
Oracle licensing term -- paraphrasing -- a salesman comes over the holds
you upside down until the right amount falls out. :-\

Seems like a solution in search of a problem. I don't care if Tim
Berners-Lee (a genuine visionary and Really Smart Person(TM)) thinks
it's cool.

Anyone with an alternative take?

	- Joe
--
...........  Joe Crawford : thinking and design about the web
.... enigmatic narcissism and miscellany : http://artlung.com
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